Lower School Students—Current and Former—Embody Citizenship

It’s been quite a while since Derek Grier was a student at Principia Lower School. But, apart from having to scrunch up his knees in order to sit down, he seemed quite happy to be back at a fifth grade desk for an afternoon a few weeks ago.

As a recently elected councilman for the City of Chesterfield, MO, Grier was guest of honor for the students’ presentations marking the culmination of their study unit on American citizenship. He listened attentively as the students spoke and acted, made notes, and then addressed them at the end of the session, speaking from his own experience as an elected official and from the perspective of his work in community association management and development.

The fifth graders, led by teacher Heather Tibbetts and assistant Sherry Myles, had spent several weeks learning about the roots of American democracy and the rights and responsibilities of a U.S. citizen. As part of an innovative, project-based learning approach, they were divided into groups to research what it means to be a citizen and to develop creative presentations that demonstrated their understanding of the concept. During their research, the students sent written questions or made phone calls to Grier, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, and U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, among other government officials.

Delighted with the way the students stepped up to the challenge of “taking charge of their own learning,” Tibbetts remarked that “I saw a side of the students I’ve never seen before. The project brought out their creativity, teamwork, leadership, and technology skills.”

One group chose to present a few famous speeches from U.S. history and prepared a video of themselves, attired in period garb, proclaiming the ringing words of Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King. Another group conducted mock interviews with an “officer of the law” and regular citizens in a talk-show format, complete with anchors, guests, and sets. And a third group scripted and filmed short videos underscoring that good citizens help those in need, care for the environment, and are polite to their neighbors.

After the presentations and a short break for cookies and cake, the students took a “citizenship test” that included some of the questions asked of foreigners seeking U.S. citizenship during the naturalization process. (You’ll be happy to know all the students passed with flying colors!)

Grier (US ’99, C ’03) was full of praise and encouragement for the class, commending their understanding of the Pledge of Allegiance and their active participation in various acts of community service through the School and at home.

“This embodies the character in ‘character education,’” he said, handing out flags to the beaming students and reminding them, “Every great country needs great citizens!”